1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program, and to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program, which can maximize the performance of a system configured of a plurality of units.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, a broadcasting system which sends and receives broadcast programs is configured of a plurality of units such as a camera (video camera) which shoots images, a transmitter which sends image signals outputted from the camera, a receiver which receives the image signals from the transmitter, and a display device which displays images corresponding to the image signals received at the receiver.
As described above, in a system configured of a plurality of units, signals are sent and received between the units. For example, in a broadcasting system, image signals are sent from the camera to the transmitter, and are received at the transmitter. In addition, the image signals are sent from the transmitter to the receiver, and are received at the receiver. Furthermore, the image signals are sent from the receiver to the display device, and are received at the display device.
Between the units configuring the broadcasting system, the image signals are sent and received as described above. In this manner, in order to allow sending and receiving the image signals between the units, and in order to send and receive the image signals between units even though the camera, the transmitter, the receiver, or the display device configuring the broadcasting system is replaced by another camera, another transmitter, another receiver, or another display device, the format for image signals is normalized or standardized.
For the format for the image signals, there is a format called D1 (the format in which Y:Cb:Cr=4:2:2), for instance. For example, between the units having an interface which can input and output the image signal in the D1 format, the image signal can be sent and received between any units.
On the other hand, in the camera, the transmitter, the receiver and the display device, an inherent process is performed in each unit.
In other words, for example, when a camera is a single plate camera having a single imager (a photoelectric conversion element such as a single-chip CCD (Charge Coupled Device), or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imager), for example, a color filter in the Bayer array is adapted in consideration of human visual characteristics. When the color filter in the Bayer array is adapted, obtained are from the imager image signals in accordance with the Bayer array in which there are a greater number of G components and a fewer number of R components and B components among R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue) components (hereinafter, also properly called the Bayer format). In the image signal in the Bayer format, the pixel value of a single pixel has only a single color component among any one of R, G, and B components, and does not have the other two color components. Therefore, in the single plate camera, such a process is performed that the other two color components are interpolated for each of the pixels and an image signal having all the color components of R, G, and B components as the pixel value of a single pixel.
In addition, the transmitter, for example, in order to intend so-called coexistence of monochrome broadcasting and color broadcasting, such a process is performed that a component signal having a brightness signal and a color signal different from each other is converted into a composite signal having a brightness signal superimposed with a color signal.
Furthermore, in the receiver, for example, a so-called Y/C separation process is performed for composite signals in which the composite signals are converted into component signals.
In addition, in the display device, for example, such a process is performed that R, G, and B components of R, G, and B component signals are arranged in a display format of a display which displays images thereon. Moreover, for the display format to display images on a display, that is, for the arrangement of R, G, and B components, for example, there are the stripe array, the mosaic array, the delta array, and so on.
Furthermore, for example, JP-A-10-301537 (Patent Reference 1) discloses a color liquid crystal display device in a fixed display format such as the stripe array (particularly, in Paragraph 0014).